Wages Winners and Losers Since 2004

Stagnant wages have become a hot topic in politics and for good reason, if you compare annual average pay from 2004 and 2013, one-third of all U.S. counties have seen their pay decline, when the figures are adjusted for inflation. The biggest winners for wage increases are the counties running down the center of the country many of which have economies based on energy and agriculture. Related story.

Published December 10, 2014 at 2:09 p.m. ET

*2004 income adjusted for inflation; Note: 2013 numbers not available for Loving County, Texas, Adams County, Iowa and Ringgold County, Iowa. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, annual figures 2004 and 2013